Hanwha Solutions Qcells division (Qcells), a solar-focused corporations, decided to sharply scale back factory operations for the time being, including cutting staff at its plant in Georgia. The move follows a decision by U.S. customs authorities to hold up clearance, saying some of the parts Qcells imported from China may have been produced with forced labor.
According to the Associated Press and others on the 8th (local time), the previous day Qcells said it would temporarily reduce the pay and working hours of 1,000 of its 3,000 employees in Georgia. It also plans to terminate contracts for 300 dispatched workers at the Dalton and Cartersville plants in the same state.
Qcells said the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is detaining imported parts at ports, leaving it unable to run its solar panel assembly lines.
CBP has detained these products, saying materials produced with forced labor in China may be included among the parts Qcells imported into the United States. According to reports, CBP began detaining Qcells' solar cells in June.
Qcells flatly denies allegations that it imported products made with forced labor. Qcells told AP, "Qcells has robust supply-chain due diligence procedures and a very detailed documentation system," adding, "The current supply chain is sourced entirely outside of China. The previous supply chain also did not include materials from the Xinjiang region. This is warranted by third-party auditors and suppliers."
Qcells said it is cooperating with U.S. authorities and expects it could fully resume production within weeks or months.